Machine for washing clothes.



' Patanted Jan. 22, mm. -W. M. THOMAS. MACHINE FOB WASHING CLOTHES.

- (Application filed Aug. 25, 1900.)

2 Sheats-S heet I.

(No Model.)

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- A 77'0/7NEYS ll-Ind Q @Em M E WITNESSES No. 666,575. Patented lam-22,l90l.

w. m. THOMAS.

MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES.

(Application filed Aug. 25. 1900.

(No Model.) ZSlieefs-Sheet 2.

X 4 i -lfiw l 0 r f 66 f f :7/ E I f 3.9 1? J6 g r 44 j 45 g I 7 612 J!7 j] A 7TORNEY8 UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

'wILLIAM M. THOMAS, on EAST CHICAGO, INDIANA.

MACHINE FOR WASHING CLOTHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,575, dated January.22, 1901. Application filed August 25. 1900. Serial No. 27.996. (Nmodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of East Chicago, in the county of Lake and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and Improved Machine for WVashing Clothes,of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

One purpose of the invention is to provide a machine for washing clotheswhich will be simple and inexpensive in construction and rapid andefficient in operation, and,- further, to so construct the machine thatall parts may be duplicated or readily repaired and so that the clotheswill not be torn during the process of washing, also, to provide meansfor drawing water from the tub while the clothes are in the machine andto supply fresh water to the clothes.

Another purpose of the invention is to construct the machine in such amanner that all parts may be conveniently and readily removed from thetub and thoroughly cleaned.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of thei-mproved machine. Fig. 2is ahorizontal section drawn on a larger scale, the section being takenpractically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central verticalsection through the body of the machine. Fig. 4 is a partial sideelevation illustrating the application of a support for a wringer to thetub of the machine. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through a portion ofthe tub of the machine, showing the support for the wringer inedge view;and Fig. 6 is a part of the bottom portion of the tub and the falsebottom for the tub, the section being taken practically on the line 6 6of Fig. 2.

The tub A is preferably of circular form and is made of galvanized ironor other thin, yet strong, material, and the said tub is provided with aremovable top B, one section 10 whereof may be lifted, so as to permitthe clothes to be introduced into the tub or taken out therefrom whilethe cover is in position on the tub. A faucet 11 is located at thebottom portion of the tub A, and through the medium of this faucet thewash-water is to be drawn from the tub either while the clothes aretherein or after said clothes have been removed. The tub A is usuallysupported by legs 12,which when employed are made to enter sockets 13,attached to the outer face of the tub A as shown in Fig. 1. The tub A isalso provided at its exterior, near its upper edge, with set-screws 14,and above the setscrews metal loops 15 are located. These loops andset-screws are adapted to hold in position on the tub a supportingdevice for a wringer, which device is particularly shown in Figs. 4 and5, and consists of vertical members 16, connected at the topbyacross-bar 17, said vertical members being passed through the loops 15to an engagement with the stem portions of the set-screws 14, and tothis end the vertical members 16 are provided with slots 19, as isespecially shown in Fig. 4. A wringer is secured in the usual mannerupon the cross-bar 17, and this cross-bar is provided with an inclinedboard 18 at its back, the lower portion of which board enters the upperportion of the tub, as shown in Fig. 5.

Standards 20 are erected on the central portion of the cover B, and ashort shaft 21 is journaled in the said standards, the shaft havingattached thereto a gear 22, which is turned through the medium of anattached handle 23. This gear is adapted to communicate motion to arotary dash to be hereinafter described.

A false or auxiliary bottom 13 is located in the tub,and this bottom isloosely fitted therein in order that the water in the tub, when theauxiliary bottom is in place, may find its way out through the faucet11. This auxiliary bottom B is provided with series of apertures 24 inorder that the dirt removed from the clothes may pass to the bottom ofthe tub A through the said apertures, and the auxiliary bottom B isprovided with radial ribs 27, forming rubbing -surfaces for the'clothes. These ribs extend from a point near the periphery of the saidauxiliary bottom to a point near the center of it, as is shown in Figs.2 and 3. At the central portion of the auxiliary bottom anupwardly-extending pin 26 is 10- cated, which is adapted to pivot thelower portion of the rotary dash heretofore referred to.

In addition to the auxiliary bottom B a cylindrical skeleton drum 0 islocated within the tub, upon which drum the top H of the tub has abearing, as is shown in Fig. 3. This drum C consists of an upper ring28, preferably made of galvanized metal, and a lower ring 29, made ofthe same material. Spindles 30, preferably constructed of wood, ext-endat suitable distances apart from one ring to the other, the ends of thespindle being made to enter pockets 31, preferably formed integral withopposing faces of the rings 28 and 29, and these pockets are madetapering, so that the ends of the spindles entering the pockets whenswelled will hold the spindles firmly in place. The two rings 28 and 29of the drum 0 are further connected and are locked together by bolts 32or their equivalents passed from one ring to the other.

The rotary dash heretofore referred to is held to revolve within thedrum 0 between the top and bottom portions of the tub A, and it may behere remarked that the bottom ring of the drum 0 rests upon the upperperipheral portion of the auxiliary bottom B. This rotary dash Dconsists of an upper ring 33 and a lower ring 34, both of the said ringsbeing provided with a spider-center 35, and these rings are connected bybolts 36 or their equivalents. Spindles 37, suitably spaced, also extendfrom one ring of the rotary dash to the other, and these spindles entertapering pockets 38 in like manner as the spindles of the drum 0. Ashaft 39 is passed through the spider-centers 35 of the head portions ofthe said dash, being secured thereto in any de-v sired manner, and thisshaft where it passes through the dash is preferably rectangular incross-section. The lower end of the shaft 39 is provided with an openingor recess 40,which receives the pivot-pin 26 in the false or auxiliarybottom B. The upper end of the shaft 39 is round in cross-section andpasses loosely through an opening 41, made in the cover B, and at theupper outer end of the shaft 39 a pinion 42 is secured, adapted toengage with the teeth of the wheel 22,mounted on the cover, and throughwhich wheel, as stated, motion is communicated to the said dash. Theconstruction of the dash is completed by passing bars 43 horizontallythrough the shaft 39, one bar crossing the other and two barsconstituting a set. Any number of sets of said bars may be employed.These bars pass out through openings in guide-strips 44, preferaroundand cause said clothes to be brought into rubbing engagement with thespindles of the drum 0 and the ribs on the upper face of the auxiliaryor false bottom B.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a washing-machine, a tub, an auxiliary bottomloosely mounted in the said tub and having a roughened uppersurface,adrum supported by the said auxiliary bottom and provided with arubbing-surface, and a r0- tary dash mounted to revolve within the saiddrum, which dash is provided with upper and lower annular sections, acentral support,

peripheral spindles extending between the upper and lower annularsections, and horizontal agitating-fingers passing through the centralsupport and extending beyond the peripheral surfaceof the dash, andmeans for revolving the said dash, as set forth.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination I with a tub, provided with acover, an auxiliary bottom loosely mounted in the tub and having arubbing-surface, and a drum supported by the said auxiliary bottom andhav-- ing a rubbing-surface, of a dash mounted to revolve in the saiddrum, the said dash com prising a central shaft mounted to turn at itslower end on the said auxiliary bottom, and having its upper endextending loosely through an opening in the cover of the tub,

' heads secured to the shaft, spindles extending from one head to theother at the peripheries thereof, bars passed through the central shaftof the dash and extending beyond the peripheral surface of the dash, andmeans for revolving the said dash, substantially as specified.

3. In a washing-machine, the combination, with a tub, an auxiliarybottom loosely mounted in the said tub, havinga roughened upper surfaceand a series of apertures extending from one face to the other, and adrum supported by the said auxiliary bottom, and provided with a rubbingsurface, of a rotary dash comprising a central shaft, heads secured tosaid shaft, spindles extending from one head to the other at theperipheries there-

